Industry Nine A35 Stem [Rider Review]

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for. 

Industry Nine has been known throughout the years for building the best wheels in the game. Their machining is nearly unmatched and the company loves mountain biking more than most mountain bike brands. The crew puts everything they've got into their products and with the release of the A35 stem a few years ago, you bet the same dedication and craftsmanship followed into the design of these stems. Our buddy Ryan recently made the upgrade to a custom mixed color A35 stem. Let's see what he thought:

Ryan's Review

The Industry Nine A35 Stem on a Mountain bike is arguably the most overlooked and unnoticed part on the bike, but I9 is changing that one brightly anodized piece at a time.

I purchased the 50mm length A35 stem in Black/Gold for my Ibis Ripmo to match my gold Hydra hubs. Worldwide Cyclery was a bit cheaper than buying from Industry 9's website so I gave it a shot. Due to it being a custom part and the whole COVID-19 thing it took about three weeks to arrive, but it was worth the wait.

The installation was super easy and the packaging includes instructions. You just loosen all the bolts, drop the stem onto the steer tube in whichever direction you want (if you want it level or a rise), then install the top cap. You then loosely tighten the pinch bolts to hold the stem in place once it is roughly aligned with the front tire. Next, you install your favorite 35mm handlebar by holding it flush to the stem body while you install the faceplate with the four allen bolts. Torque the allen bolts to 5-7Nm. Make sure the stem is properly aligned and set the preload on the top cap to your bike manufacturers spec. You can then torque the pinch bolts to 7-9Nm and you’re done!

"What I really like is how they label the torque specs on the stem itself so you don’t have to look it up every time. They also use 4mm for the pinch bolts that attach to the steer tube AND the faceplate bolts that attach the handlebars so you don’t have to switch up Allen keys."

The stem works exactly how you’d expect…perfect. I have it mounted to a OneUp carbon bar with a little carbon paste and it hasn’t budged (even after running into a tree...). On my other bike I have a Renthal Apex stem and it always creaks when I’m pulling really hard on the bars going up a technical climb, even after torqueing and re-torqueing several times. These don’t make a noise at all.

Now on to the best part, the fit and finish. This what sets it apart from the other stems. The machining is precise and the anodizing is a perfect color match to my other gold bits from Industry Nine. You can tell they take pride in what they make in their shop in Asheville, NC. That brings me to the primary reason I bought this stem as opposed to another cheaper brand.

Conclusion

"These are handcrafted right here in the US. Sure, you could probably by another stem and save some cash, but I guarantee it won’t look as good and with I9 you’re supporting American manufacturing. 10/10 would buy again!!" - Ryan